The Asian Production 250cc category of the FIM Asian Road Racing Championship (ARRC) 2019 moves to Thailand for Round 3, where IDEMITSU Honda Racing India will be looking to make a mark on a familiar circuit.
Twenty-one-year-old Rajiv Sethu, in his third season in the AP 250 class and second year with the IDEMITSU Honda team, will be looking to continue his fine form at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram.
Compared to his 27th position last year, Rajiv is already in the top-12 this season with 18 points and comes into this round after picking up double-digit points for the first time in Round 2, which was held in Australia.
Apart from a host of upgrades from last season, bringing in Tomoyoshi Koyama – a former Moto GP rider – to help train the riders seems to have had a positive impact on the team’s fortunes.
“With the support of my team and my coach Mr. Koyama, Australia gave me momentum and now I want to rewrite history by aiming for a podium at Chang - the circuit where I scored my first ever international points,” Rajiv said, adding, “My target is not top 10 finish, I want to push hard and surprise everyone, even more, this round.”
Entering just the third ARRC round of his young career is also his teammate Senthil Chandrasekaran, who wants to impress on ‘home’ turf.
“Honda gave me my international break in Thailand Talent Cup 2018 and Honda again gave me a bigger chance in Asia's toughest championship. Chang is a familiar track for me. This is my best chance to return to the top 15 and eye an even higher finish,” the 18-year-old said.
Schedule:
- Friday, May 31: Practice 1 and Practice 2
- Saturday, June 1: Qualifying in the morning, followed by Race 1 in the evening
- Sunday, June 2: Race 2
(The writer is in Buriram at the invitation of Honda Racing India)
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